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The hash is a tick-list of the summer season. We have included some wet garlic from our French farm. It is, essentially, just young garlic, picked before the cloves fully form. It looks like an oversized spring onion or an undersized leek and only needs a very light cook to mellow any raw pungency. If you are an allium aficionado, you could even add it raw and finely sliced. The cucumbers, quickly pickled, make an ideal condiment to the salty ham hock.

Method

Chop the cucumber in half. Using just half of it, chop it in half lengthways. Remove the soft, seedy core with the tip of a teaspoon and slice, thinly. Mix the vinegar with the sugar and turmeric until the sugar dissolves. Mix the cucumber slices with the vinegar in a shallow bowl with a good seasoning of salt. Leave to pickle, turning every so often.

Wash the potatoes and give them a light scrub, enough to remove any mud but not so much as to strip away all the skin. Cut them into varied 3cm chunks and wedges. Place them in the saucepan, cover with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until very nearly cooked.

While the potatoes boil, wash the celery and dice it, coarsely. Wash the green beans, remove their tops and slice them finely at an angle. Trim the wet garlic by removing the root tip and the leafy top at the point where it starts to flare and darken. Cut the stalk in half, lengthways, and shred it finely.

Drain the potatoes well. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan. Add the potatoes, celery and some salt and pepper. Sauté over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the potatoes start to colour.

Meanwhile, strip the summer greens’ leaves away from any tough-looking stalks; wash them well. Roll the leaves into a tight cigar shape and shred them very finely, widthways. Pick half the dill tops from the stalks and roughly chop them. Drain the cucumber and mix with half of the chopped dill. Remove the ham hock from the pack and pull it into shreds.

Add the sliced beans to the pan of potatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the wet garlic, summer greens and ham hock and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until the ham hock starts to crisp slightly at the edges and the greens have wilted.

Taste the hash and season to your taste. Remove from the pan and divide between 2 plates. Give the pan a quick wipe and heat a little oil. Fry the eggs as sunny, runny, flipped or over-easy, as you like. Slide the eggs on to your hash and serve with some cucumber pickles on the side. Garnish will a little of the remaining dill if you think it would benefit.